Nationwide Evaluation of U.S. Geriatric Fellowship Websites: Assessing Program Information Availability

Introduction: Prospective students interested in any medical fellowship seek out program information in order to help them make application and attendance decisions. Additionally, the field of geriatric medicine is traditionally underserved in the United States, and attending geriatric fellowship programs can make a great impact in improving this population’s care. The purpose of this study was to examine geriatric medicine fellowship program websites and assess their available information for prospective fellows. Methods: Using the Electronic Residency Application Services (ERAS), a list of websites was created of U.S. institutions offering Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited geriatric programs also participating in the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP, or “the Match”). Every website was evaluated for 8 items of application information such as application deadlines, program director/coordinator contact information, and a list of application requirements and 17 items of program information, such as compensation, locations of service, and rotation schedule. Results: In total, 103 programs were assessed in this study. Overall, the information most often listed on these fellowship websites were program affiliation (100%), training sites (88.3%), and program coordinator’s contact (83.5%). In total, only 51% and 45% of all application and program information, respectively, was available according to the assessment criteria. There is a clear lack of information for prospective fellows to access. Conclusion: In order to help increase fellow attendance, adequate information must be available. With the increasing geriatric population, there will be an increased need for fellowship-trained physicians trained in geriatric medicine to serve them